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I LIBRARY OF CONGRESS. § 



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8 UNITED STATES OF AMERICA- I 



A GLOSSARY 

OF 

PROVINCIAL WORDS AND PHRASES 

IN TSE IN 

WILTSHIRE. 



It is the intention of the compiler to add the profits 
which may accrue from the publication of this work, to 
the fund now collecting to defray the expenses of build- 
ing a school-house for the children of labouring persons 
in the parish of Broad Blunsdon, in Wiltshire. 



LONDON : 

PRINTED BY J. WERTHEIMER AND CO., 

CIRCUS PLACE, FINSBURY CIRCUS. 



A GLOSSARY 



PROVINCIAL WORDS AND PHRASES 



WILTSHIRE. 



y 



JOHN YONGE AKERMAN, 

Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of London, Edinburgh, and Neiccastle-upon-Tyne . 
and Honorary Member of the Royal Society of Antiquaries of France. 



LONDON : 
JOHN RUSSELL SMITH, 

OLD COMPTO^ STREET, SOHO. 



M. DCCC.XLII. 




-?£ 



', 



o1** 



M 



" Our sparkfull youth laugh at their great grandfathers' 
English, who had more care to do well, than to speak 
minion like, and left more glory to us by their exploiting 
of great acts than we shall do by our forging anew words 
and uncuth phrases. 

■' Great, verily, was the glory of our tongue before the 
Norman Conquest, in this, that the Old English could 
express most aptly all the conceits of the mind in their 
own tongue without borrowing from any."' — Camden's 
Remaines, p. 25. edit. 1636. 



PREFACE. 



" The etymologist/' says Cornelius Agrippa in 
the preface to his remarkable work on "The 
vanity of the arts and sciences," in which he 
anticipates the resentment of their various pro- 
fessors — " the etymologist will derive my name 
from the gout /"* 

Bearing this bitter sarcasm in lively remem- 
brance, I trust I have not gone too far for 
derivations in the list of provincial words which 
follows, and that my anxiety to prove them 
will not provoke the censure or the ridicule of 
the critic and the scholar. 

Having, in my boyhood, resided in a district 
of North "Wiltshire remote from large towns, 
I became acquainted with many — I may say 
nearly all — the provincialisms in use by the 
rural population ; and the cares and anxieties 

* Etymologiis suis Agrippa nomen indent podagricum, 



IV PREFACE. 

of later life have not been sufficient to efface 
them from my memory : but, great was my 
astonishment and delight, when, on my first 
acquaintance with Anglo-Saxon literature, I 
discovered that what for many generations past 
has been considered a barbarous and vulgar 
jargon, was once the language of Bede, of 
Alfred, and of Aelfric ! 

This will scarcely be credited by persons less 
familiar than myself with these provincialisms ; 
but, I am persuaded that any doubt they may 
entertain, wi]l be dispelled on comparing the 
words in the list with those of similar signifi- 
cation in the Anglo-Saxon language. Some of 
these derivations are palpable and indisputable, 
while many words are retained to this hour as 
they originally existed. 

Every educated man knows that the basis of 
our language is the Anglo-Saxon ; but, it may 
be questioned whether many persons are aware 
of the existence of so many primitive Anglo- 
Saxon words in the dialects of the West of 
England. 

The phrase " Dialects of the West of En- 
gland/' will be well understood by those who 
have made provincialisms their study.. They 



PREFACE. V 

will not require to be told, that this dialect, 
with its modifications, prevails among the rural 
population of the counties of Devon, Dorset, 
Somerset, Hants, Wilts, Berks, Hereford, part 
of Warwick, and even Surrey, Sussex, and 
Kent ; and that there are a few w T ords which 
alone will suffice to identify a native of those 
counties, and distinguish him from a native of 
the more Northern provinces. The title, master, 
will suffice. In the West this word is pro- 
nounced measter, or maester ; but in the North 
maister, muster or musther. On the other hand, 
there are certain words which are occasionally 
pronounced the same, in nearly every part of 
England. Among these are 

Coom for Come. 
Lang — Long. 
Fram — From. 
Mon — Man. 
Crud — Curd. 

The only difference is, that in the north of 
England these words are invariably thus pro- 
nounced, while in the west, the pronunciation 
differs sometimes even in the same village. 

Similar variations may be discovered in 
Saxon writings, where in the same page come 



VI PREFACE. 

is spelt cym, cum, and cum, an irregularity 
which leads to the inference that the word was 
pronounced differently, and that the scribe was 
perplexed by it. 

There is another fact which denotes the 
common origin of the English Language, much 
as the dialects differ in many respects. This 
consists in the transposition of vowel and con- 
sonant, or rather in the retention of the ancient 
orthography. Thus we find in the West of 
England, 

Hapse for Hasp. 

Wapse — Wasp. 

Thurgh — Through. 

Girt — Great. 

Claps — Clasp. 

While in the North of England we have 

Crud for Curd. 
Brid — Bird. 

and several others. 

There is a peculiarity in the dialects of the 
West of England, which deserves especial 
notice : this is the sound of the diphthong oi 
as wi. Thus spwile, for spoil. The w is 
also often sounded before a vowel, as stwone, 
for stone ; twoad for toad, &c. : while the o is 



PREFACE. Vll 

frequently converted into a, as shart for short, 
fork for fork, &c. These peculiarities may be 
traced wherever the West-country dialect is 
spoken, and distinguish it in a marked manner 
from the dialects of the North of England. 
With regard to the sound of the vowel a, it has 
been observed that it is invariably like a in hall 
or fall; but this is not always the case ; many, 
and especially the old people, give it the sound 
of ae or ea, and such was doubtless the pro- 
nunciation of the Saxon iEl, all. 

" If the consonants, those natural sinews of 
words and language," says Mr. Bosworth, 
" suffer such changes, it may safely be pre- 
sumed that those flexible and yielding symbols 
— the vowels — should be exposed to still greater 
confusion ; — a confusion almost sufficient to 
induce one to imagine that they are of no 
weight or authority in Anglo-Saxon ortho- 
graphy/'* These remarks on the Anglo-Saxon 
language, apply to the pronunciation of the 
dialects of the West of England, in which we 
find all sorts of liberties taken with the vowels. 

The list which follows might be greatly 
enlarged, if mere corruptions and vulgarisms 

* Elements of Anglo-Saxon Grammar, 8vo. p. 51. 



Vlll PREFACE. 

were admitted as in some glossaries which have 
been published during the last ten years, and 
which serve to swell the number of words 
without adding one jot of philological informa- 
tion : nevertheless, if I had not aimed at con- 
ciseness, I should have inserted many words of 
well known meaning, which are to this day 
pronounced in Wiltshire precisely as we may 
suppose they were pronounced among the 
Anglo-Saxons. Among these are Sheawe, 
Sceape, show ; Sheame, Sceame, or Sceome, 
shame ; Neowe, Neop, new ; Navvel, Napel, 
navel; Niddle, Nsebl, needle; and many others. 
It is evident that several compilers of works 
of this description, have set down to their task 
in utter ignorance of the Anglo-Saxon lan- 
guage ; and, consequently, not being aware of 
the irregularities in the orthography of that 
language, have looked in vain for the deriva- 
tions of words which otherwise might have 
been readily illustrated.* In saying this I do 
not pretend to a critical knowledge of the 
Anglo-Saxon tongue ; and, I trust, these re- 
marks will not be taken in ill part, but rather 

* This remark applies only to some of these glossaries, 
but to mention their titles would be invidious. 



PREFACE. IX 

have the effect of stimulating to further inquiry 
those who are desirous of illustrating the pro- 
vincial dialect of their native county. A little 
more care, and one half of the industry they 
have manifested, will, if directed to the proper 
source, amply reward them for their trouble : 
they will find that, instead of our primitive 
words being derived from foreign languages, 
they are, in nearly every instance, of decided 
Anglo-Saxon origin, thus justifying the remark 
of Camden, that <( the Old English could 
express most aptly, all the conceits of the mind 
in their own tongue, without borrowing from 
any." 

In conclusion, I fear that I may have over- 
looked some words which ought to have found 
a place in this vocabulary. Should this be dis- 
covered by those into whose hands it may fall, 
I entreat that I may be favoured with a commu- 
nication ; and if the work should ever reach a 
second edition, due acknowledgment shall be 
made, and proper attention paid to such addi- 
tions and emendations as may be required. 

J. Y. Akerman. 

Lewisham, Kent, 
26th April, 1842. 



For the convenience of those who are un- 
acquainted with Anglo-Saxon, the alphabet is 
here given. 



X a 


a 











B b 


b 


P 


P 


p 


E c 


c* 


R 


P 


r 


D b 


d 


S 


r 


s 


E6 e 


e 


T 


t 


t 


F F 


f 


D 


f« 


th 


E S 


gt 


U 


u 


u 


H h 


h 


7 


p 


w 


I i 


i 


X 


X 


X 


L 1 


1 


Y 


y 


y 


MCD m 


m 


Z 


z 


z 


N n 


n 









* C before a vowel is frequently sounded as Ch. - 
f G in the middle of a word is often liquid, and 
sometimes is suppressed altogether. 



A GLOSSARY, 

Sfc. 



A. 

Afeard, Aveard. Afraid. This and some 
of the following words may be found in 
Chaucer and other early English writers. 

Aftermath. A.S. JEpteji, after ; and Mao\ 
math, a mowing. See also Latter math. 

Agg. To hack, to cut clumsily. 

All a hoh. All on one side. A.S. Apoh. 

All amang. All among, mingled ; as when 
two flocks of sheep are driven together. 

Alius. Always. 



2 

All in a charm. " They are all in a charm," 
they are all talking aloud. See Charm. 

All in a muggle. All in a litter. 

A m w o a s t. Almost. 

A n a n. 'Nan. What do you say ? 

Anchor. The chape of a buckle. 

Aneust, or A n e o u s t. Much the same,, 
" neoust of a neoustness," nearly alike. 

A n i g h s t. Near to. 

Anont, Anunt. Against, opposite. 

A p a s t. Past, after, beyond. 

A r c h e t. An orchard. 

Arra-one. Ever a one. 

Athert. Athwart. 

A thin. Within. 

Athout. Without. 

A 1 1 e r y. Irascible, choleric. 

A t w o. Divided, separated. 

Avore, Afore. Before. 

A w v e r d r o w. To overthrow, to upset. 



Ax. To ask, to enquire. A.S. Acrian, to ask. 
Ax occurs frequently in Chaucer, and 
other old writers of a later period than 
that poet. 

Axen. Ashes. A.S. Axan. 



B. 



Bachelor's Buttons. The wild scabious. 

Backside. The back yard or court of a 
house ; " Backside and appurtenances'' is 
yet used in legal instruments. 

Backsword. The game of single-stick. This 
does not appear to be an early term ; it 
was probably adopted at the time of the 
introduction of the rapier in England ; 
the backsword, or sword with a back, being 
a cutting, and not a thrusting weapon. 

Bad, Bod. To take off the husks of walnuts. 

Badger. A corn-dealer. I am at a loss for 
the etymology of this word. It is evi- 
dently a corruption ; — the first syllable, 
perhaps, from Bepe, barley ; the other 
from Eepepa, a reeve or bailiff. 



4 
Bag. The udder of a cow. 

Bane. To afflict with mortal disease. A.S. 
Bana, destruction. 

Bannis, Banticle, Bannistickle. The 
fish called the Sticcleback. A.S. Ban, a 
bone ; and Scicel, a prick or sting. 

B a n n u t. A walnut. Could this fruit have 
received its name from the bone-like ap- 
pearance of the shell ? Somner says 
Wal-hnut, signifies a. foreign nut. 

Barken. An enclosed place, as a rick-barken, 
a rick-yard ; but the proper name is evi- 
dently Barten, from Bene, barley ; and 
run, an enclosure. 

Barm. Yeast. A.S. Beonma. This is the 
usual term for yeast in Wiltshire ; though 
the Anglo-Saxon word, Eurc, is used as 
well as Beopma. 

Baste. To beat. This word is clearly from 
the Norman French Bastonner. 

Bavin. A faggot un trimmed. 



Beet. To replenish fire with fuel. A. S. 
Becan, to make better, to improve 
restore. "When joined with pyji. r 
observes Mr. Bosworth, "it signifies tc 

mend or repair a fire." 

Bell o ck. To cry out or roar when beaten 

or frightened ; a corruption of Bel": 

Bennets. Bents. The seed-stalks of gras3. 
They have an old rhyme in Wiltshire — 
" Pirecns never know qq woe, 
TUl they \ g i: go ; 

meaning that pigeons at this time are com- 
pelled to feed on the seed of the bent t 
stubbies being cleared and the ere 
being ripe. 

Besom. A.S. Berom. A birch-broom. 

Be twit. To taunt, to upbraid. 

B i b b le. To tipple. 

Bibbler. Corruption of bibber, a tippler. 
A.S. Bebji, a cup. 

Bide. "I shall be glad to see f e where I do 
bide." A.S. Byan. to dwell; Bye, 
dwelling. 

B i d e. v. n\ To stav. w remain. 



Bill. A bill-hook. 

Bird-batting. The catching" of birds by 
night with a net known as the bat folding 
net. 

Bist. art, A.S. )m birfc, thou art. 

Bittle. A beetle. A.S. Bitel, Bed. 

B latch. Black, sooty. 

Blather. A bladder. 

Bleeding-heart. The wall-flower. 

Blink. A spark of fire : glimmering or inter- 
mittent light. A.S. Blin, ceasing, rest, 
intermission. Ben Jonson in his Sad 
Shepherd* Act 2, Scene 6, uses the 
words " withouten blin." Bucan Blinne, 
is used in Saxon MSS. in the same sense. 

B 1 i s s e y. A blaze. A.S. Blyra, a torch ; 
Bhrien, an incendiary. 

B 1 o b b s. Water blobs, water lillies. 

Bloody Warrior. The dark coloured 
wall-flower. 

Bloomy. Hot. " Bloomy hot." 

Blowings. Blossoms. 



Bobbant, Bochant. A romping forward 
girl. 

Bobbish. "Purty bobbish, thank'e/' pretty 
well. 

B o i s t i n s. The first milk of a cow after 
calving. A.S. Beorr, Byjr, Byjxmj. 

Bolderstones. Large insulated stones 
found on the Downs and sometimes in the 
rallies. The word is now used in geology 
for a stone which has been rolled in an 
antediluvian torrent. 

Boy's love. The herb southern wood. 

Bran new. They have also vire new* These 
terms may have been originally applied to 
things fresh from the forge. 

Brave. In good health, hearty. 

Brevet about. To beat about, as a dog for 
game. 

B r o w. Brittle. I am at a loss for the ety- 
mology of this word : there is the Saxon 
Bpip, a fragment. 

Bucking. A washing. 



8 

Bunt. To strike with the head, as a young 
animal pushes the udder of its dam. 

B u r. The sweetbread of a calf or lamb. 

Burrow, oftener Bur*. A rabbit burrow, a 
place of shelter. Come into the bur\ 
means come on the leward side of a hedge 
out of the wind. The Anglo-Saxon Buph, 
used for a town, meant originally a place of 
shelter. 

B u 1 1 r y. A cottage pantry. Skinner derives 
the word Buttery from the French Bouter, 
a place where provisions are laid up. 



c. 



Caddie. A dispute, noise, contention, con- 
fusion. " Don't caddie me," don't tease 
me. A cadlin person, means a trouble- 
some or annoying one. 

Callow-Wablin. A callow unfledged bird. 
A.S. Calo, bald, without hair. Wabble, 
to walk in a floundering and unsteady 
manner. 



Canker. A fungus, a toadstool. " Toad's 
cheese." 

Cantankerous. Contentious, quarrelsome, 

Carriage. A drain, water carriage. 

Cass'n. Canst not. 

Cats' cradle. A child's game played with a 
piece of string, " scratch cradle." 

Cham. To chew, champ. 

Charm. " They are all in a charm," they are 
all talking loud. A.S. Cypm, a noise, 
shout, clamour : rynmgna cyjim, uproar 
of sinners. — Cceclmon, xxxiv. 17. 

C h a w m. A chasm, a crack in the ground. 

C hi 1 v e r. An ewe lamb. A.S. Cilpenlamb. 
Thwaites Hept. Leviticus v. 6. 

C h i m 1 e y. A chimney. 

C h i s m. To germinate. See the succeeding 
word. 

Chit. To bud, or germinate. A.S. Cift. 
The tender shoot of a herb from the root 
upwards ; hence the term " little chit" 
applied to a child. " The whate be chitting 
a'ter thease rains," 



10 

Chitterlings. The entrails. The entrails 
of a pig cleaned and boiled, are a common 
dish in Wiltshire. The word is also 
applied to an old-fashioned frill in the 
west of England, as — " here comes old 
Warder wi' his chitterlin vrill." 

C h o o r, C h a r. To do household work in the 
absence of a domestic servant, as a char- 
woman. In Wiltshire they say, "one good 
choor deserves another/' instead of one 
good turn, &c. 

Chop. To exchange, to barter. A.S. Cope- 
man, a merchant, a dealer. It may safely 
be conjectured that in primitive times 
almost all dealings were a system of barter, 
and that Chope-man was as often applied 
to a dealer as Cheap-man. 

Chump. A log of wood. 

Clane. Clean. A.S. Clane or Claen. 

Claps. A clasp. 

C 1 a t. A cowclat, cow dung. A.S. Clue ? 

C 1 a u t. The Marsh Ranunculus. " As yellow 
as a claut." 



11 

C 1 a v y. A mantel- piece. Mr. Jennings thinks 
that this word, which is used in Somerset- 
shire, is derived from the practice of 
hanging" or keeping keys on the shelf 
above the fire place, which seems highly 
probable ; though I am inclined to think 
that the word is not derived from the 
Latin Claris, but rather from the French, 
Clavier, a chain on which keys are strung. 

Cleet. A patch. A.S. Cleoc, a clout. Hence 
the white patch in the Target was called 
"the clout/' 

Cleet, to. To mend with a patch. 

Clim. To climb. The i is sounded in this 
word as in hinge. 

Clout. A box on the ear. 

C 1 u m. To handle roughly or clumsily. A.S. 
Clom, a band, bond, bandage, chain, &c. 
Clumian, to keep close, press, &c. 

C 1 y t e n. An unhealthy appearance, especially 
in children. 

Clytenish. Sickly, pale, unhealthy looking. 



12 

Clytes. The herb aparine. A.S. Clate, a 
burr. This weed is considered excellent 
food for goslings, who are very fond of it. 

Cobnut. A child's game with nuts. In the 
Isle of Wight a cob-nut is a large 
nut. 

Cock-sqwoilin. The barbarous practice of 
throwing at cocks, formerly a custom at 
Shrove-tide. This unmanly pastime is, I 
fear, not entirely abolished in some parts 
of England. I have seen the poor un- 
fledged nestlings of small birds stuck upon 
a gate post and thrown at by countrymen. 
Query if the word Sqwoilin, is from 
Cpellan, to kill ? Sqwoilin is also used 
for throwing. 

C o 1 1 e y. The soot on a kettle. Shakspeare 
uses the word Collied, and the word Collier 
comes from the Anglo-Saxon Col, Coal. 

Coom hedder! Addressed to horses in a 
team. A.S. Eiim, come ; Hibep, hither. 
See "Ga oot!" 

Craisey. The butter-cup. Supposed cor- 
ruption of crows-eye. 



13 

C r a u p. pret. of to creep. 

Craw. The bosom, the crop of a bird: "a 
spelt th' drenk down's craw !" he spilt the 
drink down his bosom. 

C r e e n y. Small, diminutive. 

C r i m. A small quantity. Dutch, Kruim, a 

crumb, a fragment. 
Crock. A pot ; more commonly applied to an 

earthen pot : hence " crockery ware." 

A.S. Cnocca, a pot or pitcher. 

" that shent all the browet, 

And cast adoun the Crokk the colys amyd." 

Deposition of Richard II. p. 10, v. 3, 

Cross-grained. Ill tempered, peevish, 
irritable. 

C r o w n e r. A Coroner. This officer is so 
called by Shakspeare and other writers of 
the Elizabethan age. 

Crusty, Surly. 

Cubby -hole. A snug place. 

Cue. The shoe of an ox. 

Cull. Tom Cull— the fish called "Miller's 
Thumb." 



14 



Cusnation. An expletive compounded of 
curse and nation. 

Cute. Acute. This supposed mutilation of 
the word has been carried across the 
Atlantic ! but its original is, perhaps, the 
A.S. CuSe, expert, able. 



D. 

Dabster. A proficient. 

D a d d i c k. Rotten wood. 

D a d d i c k y. Decayed, rotten. 

D aglets. Icicles. A.S. Daag, Dag, any- 
thing hanging or dangling. 

Dain. Noisome, or infectious effluvia. 

Da'us, Day'us, Deyhus. A dairy. The 
word is always pronounced as the Anglo- 
Saxon Hur, thus Brew/iws, Wood/ms, &c. 

Deaw. Dew. A.S. Deap. 

D e a w b i t. A breakfast, a meal taken while 
the dew is on the grass. A.S. Deap, 
dew, and Bite, a bite or bit. 



15 

Deaw bitter. A dewbeater ; one who has 
large feet or who turns his toes out, so 
that he brushes the dew off the grass in 
walking. 

D e a w-c law. A dewclaw. 

D e s p e r d. Desperate* 

Dewsiers. The valves of a pig's heart. 
Grose says this is a corruption of Jews 9 
ears. 

Dishwasher. The wagtail. In the north 
of Wiltshire this name is often given 
to the yellow wagtail only ; but in other 
parts of the county it is given to both 
descriptions of wagtail, doubtless from the 
constant sweeping motion of its tail. 

Dock. The common mallow, to which great 
medicinal virtues are attributed by the 
country people. A decoction of dock-root 
called " dock-root tea," is considered an 
excellent purifier of the blood ; and the 
leaf is supposed to be good for the sting 
of a nettle. When a child is stung, he 
plucks a dock-leaf, and, laying it on the 
part affected, sings — 



16 

" Out 'ettle, 
In Dock, 
Dock zhall ha' 
A new smock ; 
'Ettle zhant 
Ha' narrun !" 

In Chaucer's " Troilus and Cressida," the 
expression " Nettle in Docke out/' has 
much puzzled the glossarists. 

Doff. To do off, to doff the coat or hat. 

Dogged. Very, excessive, as dogged cute, 
always pronounced as two syllables, — 
dog-ged. 

Don. To put on, to do on. 

D o n n i n g s. Clothes, apparel. 

D o u t. To extinguish, to put out. 

Dowel. The devil. A.S. Deopol. 

D o w n a r g. To contradict, to argue in an 
overbearing manner. 

Dowse. A blow. " A Dowse in th' chops." 

D o w s t y. Dusty. 

D rattle. A corruption of a profane oath, 
" God throttle/' but not thus understood 
now. 



17 

D r a w t. The throat. 

Drouth. Thirst. A.S. Dpuga$e, or Dpujofte. 

D r o u t h y. Thirsty, dry. 

D r o w d. Thrown. 

D r o w n i n g - b r i d g e. A sluice-gate. 

Dubbed, Blunt, without point. 

Dubbin o' drenk. A mug of beer. 

D udder, or Duther. To confuse, deafen, 
confound with noise. 

D u d g e. A barrell ; " peg the dudge" — tap 
the barrel. 

Dumble dore. The humble bee. Dumble, 
dull or stupid ; and Dopa, a drone. 

Dumble, Dummell. or D o m e 1 1. Stupid, 
dull. 

Dumpy. Short, stunted. Now generally used. 

Dunch. Deaf. " Dunch as a bittle," deaf 
as a beetle. 

Dunch-dumpling. A hard dumpling, 
made of flour and water. 



18 



E. 

Earnest. See " Yernest," deposit money 
given to bind a bargain. 

Eath, or Yeath. Earth, 

E e z. Yes. The Anglo-Saxon response Eyre, 
must have had the exact sound of this 
word, the g being but slightly sounded, or, 
perhaps, sometimes not sounded at all : 
thus Eeclypobe, under the Normans, 
became yclyped, and the De prefixed to so 
many Saxon words, made room for y. 

Eldern. An elder tree, anything made of 
elder. 

E 1 m i n. Made of elm, " an elmin tree/' 

E m p t. To empty, to pour out. 

E o w. An ewe. A.S. Eap, or Eopa. 

Ether Edder. A hedge ; also the twisted 
wands with which a "stake hedge" is made. 
They have a rhyme in Wiltshire on the 
formation of a " stake and ether hedge" — 



19 

u An eldern stake and black-thorn ether, 
Will make a hedge to last for ever." 

They say that an elder stake will last in 
the ground longer than an iron bar of the 
same size. Both these words are from 
the Anglo-Saxon, EtSejx and Ebon. 

E 1 1 1 e. A nettle. 

Evet, or Effet. An eft A.S. Epeca ; 
Epete. 



F. 



Faggot. A trimmed bundle of fire wood. A 
word generally known, derived from the 
French Fagot. See Bavin. 

Fags. I'fags. Indeed! truly! F faith. 

Fang. To strangle, to bind a wounded limb 
and stop the flow of blood. The Anglo- 
Saxon Fang, signifies a taking ; but it is 
probable that it was also used for binding ; 
the binding of a thief must have been 
included in the old manorial rights of 
infangetheofe and outfangetheofe. 



20 

Fashion. A corruption of Farcey, a disease 
in horses. An old Wiltshire farmer, when 
his grand-daughters appeared before him 
with any new piece of finery, would ask 
what it all meant. The girls would reply, 
"fashion, gran'vather !" when the old 
man would rejoin, " Ha ! many a good 
horse has died o' th' fashion !" 

F e a t i s h. Fair, tolerable, middling. " How 

be 'e ?" " Featish, thank'e."— " There's a 

featish crop o' grass yander I" Chaucer 

says of the prioress— 

" And Frenche she spake ful fayre and fetisly." 
Prol. to Cant. Tales. 

Fend. A term used by boys at play by way 
of interdiction. French Defendre? 

F i 1 1 e n. A pretence. 

F 1 e m. A farrier's lancet for bleeding cattle. 

Flem-stick. The small staff used to strike 
the flem into the vein. 

Flick, or V 1 i c k. The fat of a pig before it 
is melted down into lard. 

Flitch. Impertinently busy, lively. A.S. 
Fhtan? to strive, contend, dispute, rebel, &c. 



21 

Fluke, or Flook. A hydatid worm found 
in the livers of rotten sheep ; so called, 
probably, from its resemblance to the 
plaice, A.S. Floe. 

Flump. To fall down heavily, " to come down 
flump like a twoad from roost." 

Flush. Fledged, 

F o o t y. Paltry, trifling, valueless. 

Fot, or Vot. pret. of to fetch. 

Fractious. Quarrelsome, fretful. 

Fresh liquor- Unsalted hogs' fat. 

Froar. Frozen. 

Frum. Fresh, juicy; applied to corn, grass, 
vegetables, &c. Fnum in Anglo-Saxon, 
signifies original, primitive, first. Fpum- 
cyn, is seed. But the word may be from 
Fnom, strong , stout. 

Fusty. Thirsty. 

Fuz. Furze. 



22 



G. 



Gabbern. Large, comfortless, illcontrived 
rooms or houses are called Gabbern. The 
first syllable of this word seems to have 
some relation to the one which follows ; the 
second is evidently from the A.S. Epn, a 
house, or place. 

Gaby. A stupid or silly fellow. 

G a 1 1 e r e d. Gallowed, frightened * 

Galley crow. A scare crow in a garden, 
called in the Isle of Wight " a galley 
baggar." These words appear to be 
formed from the Anglo-Saxon Ea&lan, to 
frighten, terrify. 

Gaily. To frighten. 

G a m b r e 1. An iron or wooden splinter used 
in hanging up a pig, sheep, &c, by the 
tendons of the hock. 

Ga oot. A.S. Tih ute, go outwards! Ad- 
dressed to horses in a team. See C o o m 

hedder. 



23 

Game, A garden. 

Gawney. A simpleton. 

Gear. The harness of horses, &c. 

Geat. Agate. A.S. Treat. See also Yate 
and Ye at. 

Gee. To agree, to go on well together. 

Gie. To give. 

Girt. Great. 

G i x. The dry stalks of hemlock. See Kecks. 

G 1 o x. The sound of liquids when shaken in 

a barrel. 
G 1 u t c h. To swallow. 
Grained. Dirty. Shakspere uses the words. 

" black and grained spots/' — Hamlet. 

Act. iii. Scene 4. 
Gramfer. Grandfather. 
Grammer, Grandmother. 
Grip. A grip of wheat is the handful grasped 

in reaping. A.S. Enip, a gripe or grasp. 
Grist, G r i z. To gnash and shew the teeth 

angrily. A.S. Dnirt, a grinding. 
p&]\ by <5 pop anb to]m gmrtbitung. 
Matt. xxv. 30. 



24 

Grom. A forked stick used by thatehers for 
carrying bundles of straw. 

G u b b a r n. A foul, filthy place, a gutter, a 
drain. 

Gule. v. to laugh, to sneer, to make mouths. 
This word appears to be of Norman 
French origin, and to be analogous to our 
term " making mouths" or grinning. 

Gumption. Ingenuity, common sense. 

Gurgeons. Pollard, coarse flour. 

G u s s. The girth of a saddle. 

Guzzle. A filthy drain. 

Guzzle. To drink voraciously. 

H. 

Hackle. The straw cover of a bee-hive, 
the straw covering of the apex of a rick. 
The Anglo-Saxon Hsecla, signifies a cloak 
or mantle. 

Hackle, v. to agree together. 

Hackle. The mane of a hog. 



25 

H a i n. A field of grass preserved for mowing. 

Hakker. To tremble with passion. A.S. AcoL 
popht 3 acol, afraid and trembling. 

Ccedmon, p. 117, v. 18. 

H a m e s. The pieces of wood attached to the 
collar of a horse in drawing. 

Hander. The second to a pugilist. 

Handy. Skilful, clever, 

Handy. Near to. 

Haps. A hasp. A.S. Haepj-. 

Harl. Entangled, knotted. 

Ham en. Made of horn. A.S. Hypnen. 

Harrest. Harvest. 

Harvest-row. The shrew mouse. A.S 
Haepepejt, harvest ; and Scneapa, a shrew 
Somner says that this little animal, by 
biting cattle, so envenoms them that they 
die. Mr. Bosworth, in his valuable die 
tionary of the Anglo-Saxon language, 
observes, that this is a fable, and that the 
term shrew was, in consequence of the 
belief in it, applied to a woman of viru- 



26 

lent tongue. Dr. Johnson also repudiates 
the belief in the poisonous qualities of the 
shrew-mouse ; but there seem to be some 
grounds for the popular notion in country 
districts. During my walks of a sum- 
mer's evening, I have often found a dead 
shrew-mouse lying in my path with half- 
a-dozen blue-bottles buzzing its requiem, 
and have been much puzzled to discover 
the cause of its death. After repeated 
examinations, I have failed to discern the 
slightest puncture by which blood had been 
drawn. I have always supposed that these 
creatures were the vanquished in single 
combats between the males, and that a very 
minute wound, though not sufficient to 
produce blood, was capable of inflicting 
death. I shall mention one more circum- 
stance, and then leave the habits of this 
curious animal to be studied by our natural- 
ists. I have often seen cats bring the 
shrew-mouse into the house and kill it, 
but they never ate it ! 
Hash. Harsh, rough, severe. A.S. Harpe. 
harpe hene-rtpaeta, rugged army roads. — 
Cczdmon 157, 29. 



27 

Hatch. A half door. The buttery hatch, in 
old halls, was a half door with a ledge on 
the top. A.S. Ha&ca. 

Haulm, Helm, Ham. The stalks of pease, 
&c. ; as pease-haulm. A.S. Healm. 

Hazon. To scold. A.S. Hir can ? 

Hecth. Height. The village of Higham in 
Kent is in Domesday Book called Hecharn. 

Heft. W eight. " Heft un" — feel the weight 
of it. Haeptan, to take ; Ha&pe, to heave. 

H e 1 e. To pour out of one vessel into another, 

Herence. Hence. 

Hereright. Hence. On the spot. 

H i d 1 o c k. To be in concealment. 

Hike off. To move away hastily, to decamp. 

Hilt. A young sow kept for breeding. 

Hinge. The heart, liver and lungs of a sheep. 
A.S. Ingepipe. 

Hire. To hear. A.S. Hypan. 

Erehype re fte eapan haebbe. — Luke, viii. 8. 

Hit. A good crop. " The apples hit well t' 
year." Query, from Ha&tan, to promise ? 



28 

Hob-lantern. A Will-o'-the-wisp, a Jack- 
o'-lantern. 

Hocks. To cut in a haggling unworkmanlike 
manner. 

Holt. Hold! stop! 

Hoop. A bull-finch. 

Hosstenger. Horse stinger — the dragon fly. 

H o u s e n. Plural of house. 

Howed for. Provided for. 

Huckmuck. A strainer used in brewing. 

Hud. v. to hide. 

Hudgy. Thick, clumsy. 

Hudmedud. The same as Galley crow. 

Huff. Strong beer. 

Huffed. Offended. 

H u n k e d. See U n k e d. 

Hyn. pron. Him, but more frequently it, ex. 
gr. " poor zowl on hyn /" — poor sowl of 
him. " I cant aupen hyn> maester" — I 
can't open it, master. I am not aware that 
this retention of the Anglo-Saxon pronoun, 
Hine or Hyne, has been hitherto noticed. 
See the remarks under U n. 



29 



I. 



Innerds. Inwards. " Pigs innerds/' entrails, 
see C hit t er 1 in gs. A.S. Innepsepbe, 

I n on. An onion* 

Ire. Iron. 

Izzard. The letter Z. 



j. 



Jack o' Lantern. The same as Hob- 
lantern. 

J a n. John. 

Janders. The jaundice. 

Jiffy. A moment of time, a very short space. 

Jobbett. A small load. " A mere jobbett." 

Jod. The letter J. 



30 



K. 

Keatch, Ketch. To congeal. 

Keck. v. to reach as if sick. 

Keeker. The wind pipe. 

Keeks, Kecks y. The dry stalks of hem- 
lock. "As dry as kecks." Used in some 
of the more northern counties. 

Keep. Growing food for horses or cattle. 

Kerf. A layer of hay or turf. 

Keys. The seed vessels of the sycamore and 
ash. 

Kibble, v. to clip a stone roughly. 

Kit. The entire quantity. " The whole kit." 

Ki v e r. A cover, a cooler used in brewing. 

L. 

Lady's night-cap. A wild flower, a 
species of bind weed, 

Lannock. A long narrow piece of land. 



31 

Latter -math. The same as Aftermath, 
Law. When a fox, hare, or any animal is 
suffered to start before the hounds are set 
on, it is said to have law. The lawing of 
dogs in old times was the cutting- off some 
of the claws of their fore-feet, so as to 
deprive them of their fleetness. 

Lear or Leer. Empty, the craving of an 
empty .stomach. " I feel quite leer" — T 
am faint with hunger. A,S, La&nner, 
emptiness. 

Lease, v. a. to glean. A.S. Leran, to gather, 
to collect, to glean. 

Leasing. Gleaning after the reapers. This 
word is found wherever the west country 
dialect is spoken. That it is used in 
Hampshire will be seen from the follow- 
ing anecdote : — When Cobbett lived at 
Botley, he on one occasion forbad the 
poor people to come gleaning in his corn- 
fields. A day or two afterwards, as he 
rode through the village, he saw written 
on a wall in huge uncial letters — 

" We will go a leasin in spite of old Cob !" 
Cobbett got off his horse, and rubbing out 



32 



the word leasin, substituted thieving, and 
so left it. 

L e mf eg. A fig, an Elleme fig. Query, were 
the first figs introduced into England, 
brought from Elleme in Turkey ? 

Lent, Length. The loan of a thing. 

Lew. To "get into the Lew," means to get 
into a place sheltered from the wind. A.S. 
Hleop, shelter, asylum. Sometimes writ- 
ten Hleo. 

-} hir jieceber hleop, and his dwelling's 
shelter. — Ccedmon, 112. 

On p ljyer holter hleo, within this grove's 
shade. — Ibid. 39. 

L e w t h. Warmth. A.S. HleopS. 

L i d e. The month of March, Lib-MonaS, now 
obsolete. " The vulgar in the West of 
England," says Aubrey, " doe call the 
moneth of March, hide. A proverbial 
rythm— 

" Eate leeks in Lide, and ramsins in May, 
And all the year after physicians may play." 

See Anecdotes and Traditions Printed by the 
Camden Society, p. 83, N T o. cxlviii. 



33 

Lief, Liefer. Rather. 

L i 1 1. To loll out the tongue. 

Limber. Limp, flaccid. 

Lissom. Nimble, Lithesome. 

Lock. A small quantity of hay. Used as " a 
lock of hair" or "lock of wool." 

Longful. Long, tedious, "A longful time." 

Lords and Ladies. The common Arum. 

L o w 1 e. A lowle eared pig. ; a long eared pig. 

Lug. A pole on which fowls roost, or on 
which clothes are hung. 

Lug. A pole. A pole in land measure, 5± 
yards. 

Lummakin. Awkward, ungain, clumsy, 
heavy. 

M. 

M a g o 1 1 y. Frisky, playful. 

Main. Very. "Main sprack," very sprack 

or lively ; " main good/ 5 very good. 

D 



34 

Mamraered, Perplexed. I cannot find the 
original of this word : there is the A.S. 
Mamenung, a sleeping or slumbering. 

Mandy. Saucy, impudent, frolicksome. 

Maunder. To talk menacingly and vaguely. 

Mauthern. The ox-eyed daisey. 

M a w k i n. A coarse piece of sacking, attached 
to a stick, with which the charcoal sticks 
are swept from the oven previous to putting 
in the batch. 

M a y* The hawthorn blossom. 

May-be. Perhaps, possibly. 

M a y - b i 1 1 1 e. The may beetle. The cock- 
chafer. See B i 1 1 1 e. 

M a z z a r d. The head. I have not been able 
to trace the etymology of this word, which 
is also used in Gloucestershire. 

M e a s t e r. Master. Sometimes Maester ; but 
the former is nearer the Anglo-Saxon 
Maagertep, in which the £ was, probably 
suppressed ; thus giving the exact sound of 

measter. 



Mickle. Much. A.S. Micel. "Many a 

little makes a mickle." 
Miff. Offence: "He's in a miff". — he's 

offended. 
Millard. A miller. 
Millard. The white moth which flies at 

twilight. 
M int. A mite. A corruption ; the word mite 

being Anglo-Saxon. 
Minty. Full of mites. 
M i x e n, Muxe n. A dung heap. A. S. 

Myxen. 
M o o c h e r. A truant ; " a blackberry 

moucher" — a boy who plays truant to 

pick blackberries. The word is in some 

counties pronounced differently : Shaks- 

pere uses it thus : — 
" Shall the blessed sun of heaven prove a micher and 
eat blackberries" — Part I. Hen. IV. Act ii. Sc. 4. 

Moots. The roots of trees left in the ground. 

See S t o wl s. 
M o p. A statue fair for hiring servants. 
M ore. A root : " a strawberry more." In 

Anglo-Saxon Mop-beam, is a mulberry 

tree ; peal-mopa, is a parsnip. 



36 

Most in deal. Ordinarily, generally, "Where 
do you live ?" " Most in deal at the 'Vise," 
(at Devizes). 

M o t h e r y. Thick, mouldy, as beer or vinegar 
when stale. 

M ought. Might. 

M o u s t e r. v. To muster. 

Muddle, Muggle. Confusion. " A muddle- 
headed fellow/' " Muddle-headed," tipsy. 

M u g g y. Warm moist weather. 

Mullock. Rubbish, a confused heap. Used 
by Chaucer and other old writers. 

Mun. Probably a corruption of man ; as 
u Does't kneow that, mun ?" But the 
word is now applied to man, woman, or 
child, and sometimes to a horse, dog, or 
other animal. 

M u x e n. A dunghill, See M i x e n. 

M w o i 1 e. v. " To get into the mwoile," to get 
into the mud. 



37 



N. 

Naght. Naught. A.S. Nahc. 

Nail-passer. A gimlet. I do not find this 
implement thus mentioned in any book, 
but the name has a primitive sound. 

Narra one. Never a one. Often clipped— 
nar'n. 

Nash or Nesh. Tender, chilly. A.S. Nser c. 

Nashun, Nation. Very, extremely. '* Na- 
tion strange," " nation queer," " nation 
dark." 

Nat. Not. A.S. Nac. 

Niest. Nearest. A.S. Nyhrr. 

Nire, Nigher. Nearer. A.S. Nyp. 

N i t. Not vet. 

•i 

Nitch. A burthen of hay, straw, wood, &c. 
" He's got a nitch"— he is drunk. 

N o t - c o w. A cow without horns. A.S. Hnou. 
shorn or clipped. This term seems to be 
applied as Chaucer uses it in describing 
the veoman : — 



38 



" A not-hed hadde he with a broune visage." 

Prol. to Cant. Tales. 

That is to say a head with the hair clipped 
short, or denuded of its usual covering. 

Nummet. A luncheon. A.S. Non-mece, 
noon-meat, 

Nuncheon,Nunchin,f.e.Noonchyne. 
The noon cut or slice. In old accounts we 
find the entries — " paid viii. men for their 
noonchyne" — but we never see among the 
same entries the word dinner, which 
appears to be of Norman French intro- 
duction. The little bags in which plough- 
men and plough-boys take out their meals 
into the fields, are called " nunchin-bags." 

Nuncle. An uncle. Shakspere makes the 
fool address Lear as " nuncle." 



o. 

O n g a i n 1 y. Corrupted from ungainly. 

On,Onmistake. For in mistake ; a palpable 
retention of the A.S. on for in. " I run 
agen hyn on th' street." 



39 

Onpossible. A corruption of impossible. 
O r g a n y. The herb penny royal. A.S. Opgane. 

p. 

Pasmets. Parsnips. 

Peart. Pert, imperjtinent. 

P e a z e n. Plural of pease. A.S. Pioran. 

Peel. A pillow on which lace is made. A.S. 
Pile, a pillow. 

Peg. A pig. 

Pelt. A passion, rage, ire. " A come in, in 
such a pelt." 

Pewit. The lapwing. 

Pick. A hay-fork, a prong. 

Pig-all, Pighaw. The white thorn berry. 

Pip. A small seed. 

Pish! Pishty! A cry or call to a dog. 

P i t c h i n. Used in distinction to paving ; the 
latter being performed with flat even 
stones, the former with small uneven 



40 

ones, like those in the carriage roads in 
. London. 

Plash, v. To partially cut off the branches 
of a hedge, and entwine them with those 
left upright. 

P 1 i m. To swell. 

Pon or Pan- shard. A fragment of broken 
earthenware. A. S. Scaepb or Sceanb. 
Eal pa sceanb, all the pieces. 

P o w 1 1. A blow with a stick. 

Prinit. Take it. French, Prenez. 

Pue. The udder of a cow or sheep. A.S. 
Pure a purse, a small bag. 

Pure, Purely. In good health, " quite 
purely/' quite well ; Pup, sound. 

P u r 1 e y. Weak sighted. 

Pwint, A pint. 



41 



Q. 

Quamp. Still, quiet. 

Quanked. Overpowered by fatigue. A.S. 
Cpanian, to be weary or faint ; Cpencan, 
to quench. 

Quar. A quarry. 

Quar, to. To work in a quarry. 

Quarrel. A square of window glass. French 
Quarre. 

Q u avin-gog. A quagmire. 

Quest. A wood-pigeon, a strange person. 
" Thee bist a queer quest." The vulgar 
explanation of this phrase is, that a half- 
witted fellow got up a tree to rob what he 
supposed was a wood-quest's nest, when 
he discovered it was the nest of an owl 
full of young ones, who, when the fellow 
attempted to take one of them, manifested 
their indignation at the intrusion by hissing 
and pecking, upon which he exclaimed, 



42 

" Thee bist a queer quist !" It seems, 
however, more probable that it originated 
in the remark pu. cpyjx, thou say est, ad- 
dressed to a person who talked strangely 
or incoherently. 

Quid. To suck. 

Quilt. To swallow. 

Qui skin'. Complaining. 

Quist. A wood pigeon. See Quest. 

Q u o p. To throb. 

Q wat. To squat. 



R. 



Race. Calves' race. The heart liver and 
lungs of a calf. A.S. Raca, the throat. 
The wind-pipe is always a conspicuous 
object in this collection. 

Rack. A rude narrow path, like the track of 
a small animal. This may assist the 
Glossarists in their interpretation of the 
word 4 ' rack" in Shakspere's xxxiii. Sonnet. 



43 

Rafty. Rancid. 

Ramshackel. Loose, untidy > ungainly. 

Rath e. Early, soon, quickly. ;i Rathe ripe ;" 

early ripe. A.S. Hpa<5e, RaeSe, or Rab*, 

quickly, soon, early. 

pee hpafte, anb pjnc pptig. — Z*J;e xvi. 7. 

D6 ]ia$e paec pu bon pylu. — John xiii. 28. 

The word is also used by the old English 
poets — 

" An set them ther to, both rathe and sone." 

How the goode wif thought her daughter. 

" Bring the rathe primrose which forsaken dies. 

Milton, Lycidas- 

Hence our " rather do this 55 for "sooner do 

this. 55 Spenser uses it in several places. 

R aught, pret. of to reach. 

Reer. Raw, underdone. A.S. Hjiejie, under- 
done. 

Revel. A parochial festival. 

Riddle. A coarse sieve. A.S. Ribbel. 

R o m m el in. Anything rank and overgrown. 
A corruption probably of the A. S. 
Rumebhce. abundantlv, fully. 



44 
II o n g. The step of a ladder. 

11 o w n e y or R a w n y. Thin, uneven, like 
badly manufactured cloth. 

Rubble. Rubbish. 

Rudderish. Hasty, passionate. 

Ruddle. A red ochreous composition with 
which sheep are marked. 

Rumpled-skein. Anything in confusion, 
a disagreement. 

Rusty. Restive. 

Ryemouse. A bat. A.S. Hnepe-mus. 



s. 



Saace. Saucyness, impertinence. 

Sally-withy. A willow. This is a curious 
compound, both Sahl and piSig signifying 
in Anglo-Saxon, a willow. Ps.cxxxvi. 2. 

Sarsens. Bolderstones. 



45 

S a w 1. Soul. A.S. Sapl ; sometimes Sapul, 
which is still more like the provincial 
sound. 

S c a u t. v. To strain with the foot in supporting 
or pushing anything. 

Scaut. The pole attached to the axle of a 
waggon, and let down to prevent its running 
back while ascending a hill. This is 
doubtless an Anglo-Saxon word. 

Scran. A bag. A.S. Scmn. 

Sume penbon, poppam Iubar ha&jzbe scpin, &c. 

John xiii. 29. 
Screech. The Missel thrush. A.S. Scpic. 

S c r o u g e. To squeeze. 

S crow. Cross. " Main scrow," very cross. 

Scrunch. To crunch. 

Sewent, S h e w e n t, S u i t y. Even, regular. 

Shard. A gap in a hedge. 

Sharp. The shaft of a cart. 

Shim. It seems. " He's a fine fellow, shim." 
He's a fine fellow it seems. 

Shirk off. To decamp, to retreat in a 
cowardly manner. 



46 

Shogg off. The same as shirk off. 

S h o w 1. A shovel. 

Shrammed. Chilled. 

S k i e 1. A beer cooler used in brewing. 

Skillin. A penthouse. A.S. Scylban, to 
protect or defend. In old German Schillen 
signifies to cover. 

SI an. A sloe. A.S. Slan. Prunum sylves- 
tris. — Lye* 

Slat. A slate. A.S. Slac, p of Sliran. 
Slat. To split or crack. 

He flat rtan. — Psalm lxxvii. 18. 
S 1 e e z y. Of thin texture, as bad cloth. 

Slink, to. The same as ''shirk off" or ff shog 
off." A.S. Shncan. 

S 1 i z e. To look sly. 

Sloop. To change. 

S 1 o x. To waste or pilfer. 

Sluggard's-guise. A sluggardly habit. 

" Sluggard's guise 
Loth to bed 
And loth to rise." 



47 

S m i c k e t. A smock, a shift. 

Snead. The pole of a scythe. A.S. Snaeb. 
The two handles are called the nibs, the 
rings that fasten the handles are called the 
quinnets, and the ring which secures the 
blade is called the pole-ring. The word 
Snead is used in neighbouring counties, 
and in Derbyshire according to Mr. 
Bosworth. 

Sowlegrove. The month of February ; now 
obsolete. Aubrey says, " The shepherds 
and vulgar people in South Wilts, call 
Februarie ' Sowlegrove ' and have this 
proverb of it : — viz. e Soulgrove sil lew,' — 
February is seldome warme — sil pro seld, 
seldome." — Anecdotes and Traditions. 
Printed by the Camden Society, p. 83, 
No. cxlvii. 

Spade. The gum of the eye. A.S. Speb ? 

S p a n k y. Shewy. 

S p r a c k. Lively, active, inteligent. " A 
sprack un," a lively one. This word is not 
applied merely to the talkative, or it might 
be supposed to be derived from Spraec. 



48 
S p r a w i n g. A sweetheart. 
Spreath. Active, able. 
Spreazed. Chapped by cold. 
Spuddle. To stir about. 

Squab. The youngest or weakest pig of the 
litter, or the weakest bird of the brood. 

Squelch. To fall down heavily, " a veil down 
squelch" he fell down heavily. 

S q w o i 1. To throw. See " Cock-sqwoilling." 

S t a d d 1 e. The pillars on which a corn or hay 
rick stands. 

Stale. The handle of a prong, rake, &c. 

A.S. Seel. 

Starky. Stiff, dry. A.S. Steajic. 

Steanin. A road made with small stones. 
A.S. Scaenen, stony. 

Stem. A period of time. Ex. " We have 

had a stem o' dry weather." A.S. Scemn. 

Hie hsepbon hiopa stemn jerecenne, 

they had their time set. — Ingr. Sax. 

Chron. p. 116. 



49 

S tinge. (The g soft). A sting. A.S. Stancg. 

Stout. The Gad-fly. A.S. Strut. Aubrey 
says that when the gad-fly stung the cattle 
belonging to Simon Brunsdon, the parish 
clerk of Winterton Basset, they would 
run over that champaign country, and 
their master would follow them, crying 
out "Good St. Katharine of Winterbourne, 
stay my oxen !" I have often seen cattle 
thus run when attacked by their tormentor 
the Stout, and can imagine the vexation of 
the honest clerk in the days when there 
were no enclosures. This anecdote will 
be found in the volume of " Anecdotes 
and Traditions, Published by the Camden 
Society, No. cliv. 

S to wis. The roots of large trees left after 
they are cut down. See also Moots. 

Strommelling. Awkward, ungainly, un- 
ruly. 

Stuck. A spike. A.S. Stic. 

Stwon-dead. Stone dead — dead as a stone. 

Stwonen. Made of stone. A.S. Sta^nen. 

Su Hedge. A coarse apron. 

E 



50 

S w a n k e y. Swaggering", strutting. A. S. 

Spangettan ? 
Swap or Swop. To barter, or exchange. 

The same as Chop. 
Swath. The grass as it lies after being cut 

down by the mower. A.S. Spa$e. 
Swig, To suck. 

S w i 1 1 e r. To consume slowly, without burst- 
ing into a flame. A.S. Spole? Spy It? 
Swingeing. Great, violent. " A swingeing 

blow" — " a swingeing price. " 
S wit tie. To cut a stick; " to cut and 

swittle," to cut and leave the pieces about 

the room. 
Swyrd. A sword. A.S. Spypb. 
Sy the. To sigh. 

T. 

Tack. A shelf, a mantel-piece. "Up on th' 
Tack." 

Tack. Pasture for cattle. 

Tackle, Instruments of agriculture. 

Tackle. Food and drink. " This be capital 
tackle." 



51 

Tailings, Tail-ends. Refuse corn not 
saleable at market, but kept by the farmers 
for their own use. 

T a 1 1 o t or T a 1 1 e t. A hay-loft over the 
stable. 

Tang, v. To tang the bell is to pull it. Mr. 
Bosworth observes that it is probable the 
Anglo-Saxon Tang, which signifies tongs, 
or forceps, is derived from the idea of 
holding or pulling, a conjecture which this 
Wiltshire word seems to confirm. 

Tang. v. To make a noise with a key and a 
shovel at the time of the swarming of a 
hive, not, as is supposed, to induce them 
to settle, but to give notice of the rising 
of the swarm, which could not be followed 
if they went on a neighbour's premises, 
unless this warning was given ; so that 
this rude kind of music was called tanging, 
it being an imitation of a bell. 

T a r b 1 i s h. Tolerable. " Tarblish middlin' 
thankee." 

Teart. Sharp, painfully tender, as a wound. 
A.S. Teapt. 



52 

T eel. To place any thing in a leaning position 
against a wall, &c. A.S. On tille, in a 
fixed station. See Bosworth's Diet. Voce 
Title. 

T e f t, Heft. To try the weight of anything 
with the hand. 

Thee. pron. You; but as frequently the pro- 
noun your or thy. Ex. " What's thee 
name ?" It occurs in the Anglo-Saxon 
version of the Gospels thus, when the 
Jews question John the Baptist : — Hpa&t 
regjt pu be ]>e rylpum r — John i. 22. 

Thee sum. These. Often " theesum here." 

The mm in. Those. 

There-right! , Addressed to horses at 
plough, when required to go straight for- 
ward. A.S. Jpa&pjuhte, directly. In our 
version of the New Testament straightway 
is used where we find the A.S. there-right. 

Thic. This. 

This sum. This. A.S. f?irrum, to this, to 
these. 

Thuck. That. 



53 

T i d. Childish, silly. When a child affects 
simplicity they say " Coom, coom dwont 
'e be tid" A.S. Tibbji, weak, imbecile. 
Tiboen, a child. 

T i d d 1 e, to. To bring up by hand the young 
of a creature which has died or been 
removed from it. Tibbpian to nourish, 
feed, &c. 

Tiddlin. A tiddlin' lamb, is a lamb brought 
up by hand. 

Timersome. Timorous. 

Tine. To divide a field with a hedge. A.S. 
Tynan, to hedge in, enclose, to shut. 

re plantobe pin-geanb, anb betynbe hyne. 

Matt. xxi. 33. 

This line illustrates the close affinity 
of the Wiltshire dialect, with the Anglo- 
Saxon. A countryman would describe 
the same thing in these words : — " He 
planted a vinyeard and tyned un." To 
tine a stake hedge, is to put in the top or 
enclosing band. 

Tine. To light; to tine a candle. A.S. 
Tenban, to inflame, to set on fire. 



54 

Tiney. Diminutive, very small. Now not 
peculiar. 

Tit. A teat. A.S. Tit, Tyt, Tytt. 

Todge. Any thick spoon meat, as gruel. 
A.S. To-gepeopbe. A taking to food, a 
refreshing. Mr. Bosworth finds this word 
in a MS. in the Cottonian Library, en- 
titled, " Guthlaci Monachi vita et Mira- 
cula" Vesp. D. 21. In some counties 
the word Stodge is used, w r hich shews that 
it is not a mere vulgarism. Doubtless 
the principal food of the humbler ranks in 
Saxon times was of the description called 
" Todge. " Though the fork is an older 
implement than some suppose, the knife 
and the spoon were the only ones in general 
use — hence " he who eats with the devil 
must have a long spoon." 

To do. A fuss, to make a fuss. 

Tom Cull. The fish called Miller's Thumb. 

Tongue. The tongue of a buckle. 

Tramp. A vagabond, a pedlar. 

Trounce. To punish by legal process. 

Tump. A hillock. Welsh, Twmp. 



55 

Tump y. Uneven, covered with hillocks. 

Tun. A chimney. " Up th' tun" — up the 
chimney. Among many other things to 
which the Anglo-Saxons gave the name 
of Tun, was Tower, which a chimney 
resembles ; and the chimnies of early days 
were built in the form of towers, 

T w i r e. To look wistfully. 

Twit. To reproach. 

T w o a d. A toad. 

T'year. i.e. this-year, a form of expression 
retained in " to-morrow," " to-day," &c. 



u. 



Un. Him, it. A.S. Hme, Hyne, accusative 
of He. " I put un in my pocket" — I put 
it in my pocket. " Gie th' prong to un" — 
Give the prong to him. I here cannot be 
a doubt that Un is the accusative of the 
Anglo-Saxon pronoun hme, and that Urn 
is also the plural Hym them. We find in the 
most popular writers of the end of the 



56 

seventeenth century, the word them 
written thus ['em]. Here are examples 
of the use of hine or hijne : 

Da plugon ealle pa leonnmg-cnyhtar, 
and jzonleton hyne. — Matt. xxvi. 57. 

Da bepenbe he hine anb cibbe Petpe, 
Slc— Mark viii. 33. 

And this of hym. 
Da cpaeS he to hym : Fanao\ — Matt. 
viii. 32. 
Unked or Hunked. Lonely. Mr. Bos- 
worth says this word is from Un-cpyb, 
without speech, solitary. 
Uppin* -stock. A horse-block. 



v. 

Vamplets. Rude gaiters to defend the legs 
from wet. 

V a ught. Fot, pret. of to fetch. 
Vet, The feet, A.S. Fee. 
Vinney. Mouldy. A.S. Finnic. 
Vriz. Frozen. 

V u d d 1 e d. Fuddled, drunk. 
Vuddles. A spoilt child. 



57 



w. 

Wapse. A wasp. A.S. psepr. It is singular 
that the Piatt- Deutsche or old Saxon word 
for this insect, is papr, while in Dutch and 
German it is TFesp. There is a very 
common story in Wiltshire of a woman 
who wished to shew off her lubberly boy 
as " a sprack un," and, accordingly, called 
him in to say his letters in the hearing of 
some old dames who came to drink tea 
with her. The hornbook was produced, 
and Tommy was asked the name of the 
first letter. " I dwont kneow un, mother," 
said the child, scratching his head, " You 
must tell m' th' vust." His mother then 
helped his forgetfulness, and moved the 
point of her scissors to the next letter. 
" What be thuck un, Tommy ?" "I 
dwont kneow," replied the boy, " I kneows 
un by zite, but I caant call un by's neame." 
" What's thuck thing as vlies over the 
gearden, Tommy ?" The child considered 
a moment and then replied with a grin, 
"Wapse!" 



58 

'War. Beware, take care. A.S. pap, aware. 

War. pret. of the verb to be. "I war, he 
war, she war, &c This " vulgarism" is 
even heard within the walls of London ; 
but it is Anglo-Saxon. 
f rappa min 
rpeojrop p&]\e. 
That Sarah my 
Sister were, 

Ccedmon 128, 26, 27. 

W a r n d. Warrant. ' ' You'll get un, I warnd." 

Wassail. A drinking song. 

Wasset man. A scare crow. 

Weeth. Tough and pliable; a with. A.S. 
]7e^el, a swaddling band. 

Weigh-jolt. A see saw. 

Wetched. Wetshod. 

Wic. A week. A.S. pic. 

W i n n e y. To utter a subdued neigh like a 
horse. 

With. A twisted willow wand, with which 
faggots are bound. A.S. J7ibl5e, a willow 
band. 



59 

With wind. The wild convolvulus. A.S. 

piS-pinbe, bind-weed. 

Withy. The willow tree. A.S. pi&g. They 
say in Wiltshire, in reference to the very 
rapid growth of the willow, that "a withy 
tree will buy a horse before an oak will 
buy a bridle and saddle." The willow 
will often grow twelve feet in a season. 

Wizzened. Shrivelled, withered. As " a 
wizzened apple," " a wizzened-faced wo- 
man." A.S. j^eran, to soak. The hands 
if soaked in water would have the appear- 
ance called " Wizened." 

Woe. Awoke, poc. pret. of paecan. 

W o s b i r d. A term of reproach ; the meaning 
of which appears to be unknown to those 
who use it. It is evidently a corruption 
of whore s-bird. 

Y. 

Y a c k e r. An acre. 

Yat, Ye at. Agate. A.S. Deat. The g in 
Anglo-Saxon was, as before observed, 



60 

often sounded like y ; as bagar, days ; 
geap, year ; and geapb, yard ; which in 
Wiltshire is always pronounded yeard. 

" Sparre the yate fast for fear of fraude." 

Spenser's Shepherd's Calendar. May. 

Ye 1 din. A hilding. 

Yeomath, Youmath. An after crop of 
grass. See Lattermath and A f ter- 
math. 

Y e p p u r n. An apron . 

Y e r r i w i g. An earwig. 
Yirth. Earth. A.S. Ypo\ 

Y u c k e 1. A wood pecker. 

z. 

Zaat. Soft. 

Zart. Sort, kind. (< That's yer zart." 

Z art i n. Certain. 

Zooap. Soap. 

Z o o n e r. Rather, sooner. 

Z ound. To swoon. 






Lf 



